leftbehindfandomcom-20200214-history
The Mark: The Beast rules the World
The Mark: The Beast Rules the World is the eighth book in the Left Behind series. It was published in late 2000 by Tyndale House. Plot summary Global Community Supreme Potentate Nicolae Carpathia has been resurrected and indwelt by Satan himself, and people are now worshiping him as God. The now-Antichrist declares that every single person on earth must receive his mark of loyalty and worship his image or lose their head to the guillotine (euphemistically called the "loyalty enforcement facilitator"). David Hassid finally finds out while he is recovering from a head injury that his fiancée Annie Christopher has been killed by lightning called down by G.C. Supreme Commander and False Prophet Leon Fortunato. Terror comes to Christians in Greece as they are among the first to receive the death penalty for refusing the mark. Lukas Miklos loses his wife, his pastor, his pastor's wife and dozens of fellow Greek believers to the guillotine, while Cameron "Buck" Williams, who is in Greece in disguise along with Albie, help two Greek teenagers escape the detention center. Meanwhile, back in the states, Gustaf Zuckermandel, Jr. is distraught to find out that his father, whom everyone calls "Big Zeke", has suffered the same fate after being caught helping and supplying other believers (subversives, according to the GC). At the same time, Rayford Steele and Albie, with the help of Steve Plank, carry out the incredible rescue of Hattie Durham, who finally becomes a believer. Chaim Rosenzweig realizes, now that he is a believer, that Nicolae Carpathia deceived him in that meeting where the Potentate killed Jonathan Stonagal and Joshua Todd-Cothran into believing that the two men killed themselves, and becomes a student of his former student Tsion Ben-Judah so that he could be used by God to deliver His people Israel to the chosen hiding place called Petra. In New Babylon, David Hassid, Mac McCullum, Abdullah Smith, and Hannah Palemoon plan to leave, taking Ming Toy's 17 year-old brother Chang Wong (who is also a believer) along with them. But Chang, a computer prodigy, was brought by his parents to New Babylon, hoping to get him hired in Carpathia's forces. Determined to "make proud", Mr. Wong has Chang drugged, carried to the mark application site, and held down, even as he protests; and although Chang has the cross of the believer on his forehead, the mark of the beast is forced on him. But even after being given the mark of the beast against his will, Chang still has the mark of the believer clearly visible because he never "accepted" the mark of the beast. In this, David and Chang discover a great advantage: Chang can now be the new Tribulation Force mole in the GC Headquarters Palace as he can come, go, and trade freely. Meanwhile the others plan a plane crash to deceive the GC into thinking they're dead while they join up with the Tribulation Force to get ready for the massive exodus for believers which they call "Operation Eagle". Everything reaches a climax when Carpathia announces that he will be returning to Jerusalem to occupy what he believes is his rightful house: the Jewish Temple. Characters In The Mark * Rayford Steele, former pilot for Pan-Continental * Buck Williams, former news reporter for Global Weekly * Chloe Williams, the wife of Buck Williams and head of the Co-op * Kenny Bruce Williams, son of Buck and Chloe Williams * Hattie Durham, former flight attendant and personal assistant to Nicolae Carpathia * Chaim Rosenzweig, former Israeli scientist * Tsion Ben-Judah, rabbinical scholar and cyber-pastor * Mac McCullum, pilot to Nicolae Carpathia * Abdullah Smith, pilot to Nicolae Carpathia * Albie, former black market dealer * David Hassid, Director of Purchasing in New Babylon * Chang Wong, computer genius newly hired to work at New Babylon * Gustaf Zuckermandel, Jr., master of disguises and fake IDs * Leah Rose, former hospital nurse * Hannah Palemoon, hospital nurse at New Babylon * Ming Toy, former Global Community employee * Lukas Miklos, underground believer in Greece * Demetrius Demeter, underground pastor in Greece * Pinkerton Stephens, formerly Steve Plank, working undercover in Colorado * Nicolae Carpathia, the Antichrist * Leon Fortunato, the False Prophet, recently promoted to High Reverend Father of Carpathianism * Walter Moon, promoted to Supreme Commander after Jim Hickman's suicide * Viv Ivins, spiritual mentor to Nicolae Carpathia and implementor of the "mark of loyalty" system * Suhail Akbar, recently hired as Security and Intelligence Chief Notes *The book has been criticized for having a Christian character take the "mark of the beast", despite the fact that the character was revealed to have the mark forced upon him when he was drugged by his parents. Deaths * Annie Christopher * Jim Hickman * Mrs. Miklos * Demetrius Demeter * Mrs. Demeter Category:Books